The Agonistic Condition: Materialism and Democracy

Political theory influenced by philosophy examines the political as the sphere of human interaction that is distinct from politics, the sphere of political institutions and parties. The political is usually described in conflictual terms, such as Marx’s class struggle, Heidegger’s polemos, Rancière’s dissensus, or the discourse of agonistic democracy.

This book challenges the premise of such constructions of agonism, namely, that the political is essentially distinct from means and ends calc...